Un Café á Midi

'Un Café à Midi' was inspired by my first trip to Paris as a 19-year-old girl, and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever fully be able to explain how inspiring that city felt to me. Everywhere I looked felt creative. Unlike other major cities that feel centered around one thing, Paris felt like everything at once: fashion, painting, dance, music, film, theater, all living together so naturally. It felt like there was space for every kind of artist there.

One of the things I loved most about Paris was the way people seemed to slow down in the middle of all the chaos. The city is busy and constantly moving, but somehow people still take the time to sit outside, have an espresso, smoke a cigarette, talk, people-watch, and just exist for a moment while everything rushes around them. That feeling stuck with me the entire trip.

The lipstick-stained espresso cup and half-smoked cigarette in this painting are meant to capture that exact feeling: a small, intimate pause in the middle of a loud and fast-moving city. This piece is really my attempt to hold onto the feeling Paris gave me long after leaving it.